I just got home from a long hard gig after and long hard OUTDOOR gig last night. P;laying lead in a big band.

His advice is right on. No lip balms here.

Pace yourself. If you're on lead, lay out on unison passages if you can get away with it. Don't take the last note up an ocatave. Bring the dynamics back one notch. Take the mouthpiece off of your chops on rests. That last partr may seem simple enough, but I have seen so many players keep the mouthpiece on their chops during three and four bar rests, as if they're afraid they'll forget the set.

I was just reminded of a kid I played with a while back who thought he was really hot stuff. One time on a gig he says to me "Hey dude, can you play like, really loud?" I looked at him with a smirk and replied "If I have to". He's now a NYC cop.

When a long gig is over most of the guys want to get out of Dodge ASAP. I don't know about you guys, but in our band we take down our own set, and we all share in the work of getting the keyboard and percussion equipment out to the vans.

So my answer is:

1) Put the horn in a case after wiping them down.

2) Help take down the set and load the vans

3) Go home.

4) Go to sleep. (When I was young an adult beverage might have come between 3 and 4.)

5) Play the next day as I would normally play. If it hurts, which it shouldn't if I played correctly during the gig, then I'll lighten up and just do some easy flexibility exercises.

If I have overdone it a bit, a warm down might be in order. My version is ppp tonguing to get the embouchure back into focus and a little response happening at soft volume before I put it away. If I have really overdone it, I will ice my face. Also, alternating a few rounds with extreme heat (don't burn your lips) with a really warm washcloth for a minute then ice for a minute, warm cloth for a minute, ice again for a minute. Do this for several rounds, then put worries to rest and get some sleep. This method really gets blood flowing in the lips and just feels good.

In agreement with Nick, during playing, getting the mouthpiece off the chops as much as you can helps too. I have literally practiced with a metronome, 1, 2 (horn in lap), 3 horn up, 4 breath, 1 play. Getting comfortable with a quick set up can do wonders when needing tiny breaks. Also, find ways to use the music to keep you comfortable. If the rep is mostly in the upper tessatura, make sure to take advantage of the lows. If it is mostly legato, take advantage of the tonguing passages, etc. This way, the mind stays on the music and prevents the player from becoming too compressed physically.

I have never warmed down in my life. I just had a seven hour gig last night, started with a wedding ceremony (Trumpet Voluntary, Pachelbell and all that) followed by 90 minutes in a duo with a guitarist during cocktails (with a guy I did a duo gig once a week 25 years ago, it was really fun) followed by 4 and a half hours of jazz and dance music. I felt great at the end, I was in one of those zones where I felt I could play forever. Then horn in the case, a Beck's from the bartender and a hefty check from my wonderful bandleader. And I don't like putting stuff on my lips, not even vaseline in the winter. I find worrying about chops creates more problems than anything else.